Page 37 of His to Take

“Wait until it goes up into the air,” I winked.

Her eyes got as wide as saucers as she looked up into the sky and then back down at me again. She was pretty adorable in her innocence. Her expression hardened when she turned her head, and I looked to see why. There was a team of six men waiting for us beside the plane.

That was probably the security team she’d alluded to. I stood a bit taller as I looked them over. They were all decidedly big men, the kind that serve as bouncers at rough bars and clubs. They were all wearing the same uniforms- black t-shirt and dark gray slacks- making them look like a line of muscles all in a row.

One of them stepped forward. His expression was hard and flat. Instantly, an extreme dislike simmered in my belly, and I did my best to swallow it down, covering it up with a tight smile.

“Dr. Vaughn. Mr. Gates,” the man greeted. “My name is Seth, and this is my team, Roger, Jamie, Brandon, Vince, and Martin.”He pointed down the line with each name and I nodded in welcome to each one. They stood there with their arms behind their backs.

“We have been appointed to keep Dr. Vaughn safe from harm along the journey,” he added.

“Happy to have you along,” I bald-faced lied.

I couldn’t pinpoint why, but I didn’t like the way they looked at her and I especially didn’t like the way they looked at me. I didn’t trust any of them. Not one bit.

“The plane is almost ready for you. Once you’re on board, we’ll make the final preparations,” Seth continued. Naomi looked to me seemingly for guidance, uncertainty on her face, and I nodded casually toward the rear of the plane.

“Sounds good,” I replied, and I walked toward the plane slowly so that she could keep up with me. We both rounded the back and walked up the gangway to board. Much of the plane was stocked with supplies and tools that we might need out there.

I’d traveled before in planes like this one, so the layout was familiar to me. I walked through the rear storage to the front of the space, leading her up the stairs and through a metal door where there was a section that was more suitable to passengers. There were a few seats against the wall, as well as more private rooms that were usually used for upper class passengers. I guided Naomi into one of those, relieved that there wasn’t room for the entire entourage that was our new security team.

Hopefully, it would just end up being Naomi and me in that room.

“Why don’t you settle in by the window? I think you’ll like the view when we get up into the air,” I offered.

“Thanks! I think I will,” she exclaimed enthusiastically. She settled in and clicked her seat belt into place. In this room, the seats were bigger than in the rest of the plane, with room to spare on either side. I took the seat next to her, placing a few things on the table between us. There was a fridge in the front of the room. I got up and poured each of us a glass of water before settling in. I heard the engines power up and knew the plane was soon going to be preparing for takeoff.

“Is it going to be a long flight?” she asked and there was a jittery undertone to her voice that hadn’t been there before. She was nervous, but she was trying to do her best to hide it.

“Nine or ten hours, by my estimate. A plane like this flies a little on the slower side,” I answered. Her fingers grasped the handles of the seat hard enough to turn her knuckles white. “Don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it,” I grinned.

She looked a bit less wary, but not as relaxed as I wanted her to be. I got up and walked over to the entertainment compartment and opened the latch. There were several books inside and I picked out one that I thought she might enjoy. I came back to my seat and passed it over to her. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the couple on the cover.

“Why don’t you read for a little while?” I suggested gently, and a look of nervous excitement passed over her face.

“What if they see?” she asked quickly, glancing in the direction of the door. There were voices not far off, probably just the security team getting settled in their seats before takeoff.

“They won’t. I’ll make certain. You just worry about enjoying yourself,” I directed.

She turned to look at the door then back to the book in her hands. When that wasn’t enough, I got up and locked the door to our cabin. I pulled the curtain over the little window, giving us complete privacy from those men.

“Okay,” she smiled, still a bit anxious.

“Good girl,” I praised. Her expression softened immediately. She almost melted right before my eyes.

Fuck. This girl was dangerous for me.

I leaned back against my seat, buckling myself into place as she settled in to read the book that I’d chosen for her. The engines rumbled a bit louder, building up power so that they could propel us down the runway and up into the air.

When we finally started to move, Naomi reached for my hand. I closed my fingers around hers as the plane took off, letting her squeeze me as tightly as she wanted as she experienced flight for the very first time. When the wheels left the ground, her eyes opened wide, first with fear and then glee. She stared down at the ground, watching everything get smaller and smaller with every second until we were thousands of feet up.

I hated the moment she pulled her hand away from mine. I had wanted to hold it forever.

CHAPTER 8

Naomi

Flying was a thrill for me. I was grateful to have Ryker’s hand to hold during takeoff and was fairly certain I was crushing some bones I was gripping it so tightly. Seeing my city state from the air and watching the only civilization I knew recede was frightening and exhilarating. Then came the combination of feelings that came with seeing the vast lands that had been ravaged by the wars. There had been many times that I glanced out the window to see the remains of a large crater, evidence of a bombing long ago. The land was scarred in places, dead in some and flourishing with nature in others. So much of it looked to be uninhabited.

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